Golden Staters Costing Employers, State $21.7 Billion
a Year For Bad Lifestyles

April 7,2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Despite a
reputation for being tanned and healthy, Californians are
costing their employers $21.7 billion a year in medical bills
and lost productivity due to being overweight and
inactive.

The Golden State – in all its sun and surfing glory –
has what a recent study calls
“one of the fastest rates of increase in
adult obesity of any state in the nation.” However, there
are indications that this rate is slowing.

The majority of these costs were
shouldered by public and private employers in the form of
health insurance and lost productivity, according to the
study. These costs could increase to $28 billion in 2005
if no changes are made, the study warned.

The study states that 53% of
Californians over 25 are overweight; 17% are obese,
according to the report. These figures are even higher
for Hispanics, blacks and adults with less than a high
school education, with rates above 60% for these groups,
the study, which was prepared for the California
Department of Health Services, found.

Change would not be impossible,
however. The study estimated that a 5% improvement in the
rates of physical activity and healthy weight over five
years could possibly save more than $6 billion; a 10%
improvement could save nearly $13 billion, according to
the report.